Cubs 9, Reds 4: Cingrani's struggles lead to another loss

Thursday

May 1, 2014 at 12:01 AMMay 1, 2014 at 9:26 AM

CINCINNATI - Another short start by left-hander Tony Cingrani led to another bad loss for the Reds. Cingrani kept the Reds in the game, but for only four innings. Nick Christiani took the loss as Cincinnati fell to the Chicago Cubs 9-4 last night in front of a crowd of 21,847 at Great American Ball Park.

CINCINNATI — Another short start by left-hander Tony Cingrani led to another bad loss for the Reds.

Cingrani kept the Reds in the game, but for only four innings. Nick Christiani took the loss as Cincinnati fell to the Chicago Cubs 9-4 last night in front of a crowd of 21,847 at Great American Ball Park.

It was the third time in six starts that Cingrani has gone five innings or fewer.

That has put the game in the hands of middle relief, which is problematic without a long man in the bullpen. The Reds have lost all three games in which Cingrani has gone five innings or fewer, and they have won all three in which Cingrani has gotten past the fifth.

Christiani (0-1) gave up two runs over two innings, and J.J. Hoover had his best outing with two scoreless innings. The Cubs finished it off with four runs off Sean Marshall in the ninth.

Cingrani allowed three runs and six hits. He walked two and struck out two.

“He wasn't that sharp,” Reds manager Bryan Price said. “His velocity started to back down a bit the last inning. He wanted to go back out and pitch, but I felt it was the right decision to get him out of there. It just didn’t seem like it was working for him tonight.

“It didn’t seem like we should keep running him out there, expecting a different result.”

Cingrani said he is fine physically, but “I just felt a little fatigued. I was just laboring."

The first inning continues to be a stumbling block for Cingrani. Emilio Bonifacio led off the game with a single to right. Junior Lake followed with bolt to center that Billy Hamilton ran down. Hamilton had no chance on Anthony Rizzo’s ball. He hit into the Reds’ bullpen in left-center — a 426-foot shot. Starlin Castro followed with a double off the wall.

Cingrani struck out the next two to end the threat. He has given up seven runs in the first inning of his six starts. He has given up a total five runs in the other 261/3 innings he has pitched.

Edwin Jackson (2-2) beat the Reds for the second time in two starts this year. He went 52/3 innings and allowed four runs and five hits.

Nate Schierholtz drove in three runs and Castro went 3 for 4 with two doubles for the Cubs. Brayan Pena hit a solo homer for the Reds, who have lost four of five.

Chapman to pitch for class-A Dayton

Reds manager Bryan Price confirmed that left-hander Aroldis Chapman will start and pitch one inning for class-A Dayton today in the first game of his minor-league injury rehabilitation assignment.